Anantapur: A century and a half old KC Canal (Kadapa Kurnool Canal) was facing acute shortage of water sources. Farmers and urban people faced severe crisis for drinking and irrigation during 2002-2004 and again similar situation was reported during last year.
The canal was constructed between 1863 and 1870 as an irrigation and navigation canal. This canal interconnects the rivers Pennar and Tungabhadra. It starts from the Sunkesula barrage located on the Tungabhadra river in Kurnool district.
The navigation system was abandoned during 1933 and the canal continued to be a major irrigation source. To improve the efficiency of the system, modernisation of the entire canal and repairs/reconstruction of the structures was taken up under K.C. Canal modernisation.
The project is under construction to stabilise entire ayacut of KC Canal and to develop the gaps of 60,000 acres. The canal presently irrigates nearly 1,70,000 acres with 40 TMC ft water utilisation from the Krishna river along the mitigating drinking water of Kurnool city and other connecting urban parts.
Kurnool citizens faced drinking water problem last year and similar situation is likely to repeat in the coming season, a senior engineer from RWS department observed. Presently, Srisailam has just 48 TMC ft of storage and needs heavy inflows from upstream areas of Krishna and Tungabhadra rivers.
Rayalaseema Parirakshana Samihti founder Byreddy Rajasekhara Reddy observed government had no sympathy towards Rayalaseema. He stressed need for and a political movement by KC Canal ayacutdars for their rightful share of water from Rajolibanda Diversion Scheme.
“KC Canal Hakkula Parirakshana Samiti' would be formed to spearhead the agitation to mount pressure on the government. Both Telangana and Karnataka should have positive outlook towards Rayalaseema region,” Mr Byreddy Rajasekhar Reddy said.
65K farmers agree to share water
At least 65,000 farmers had agreed to share water through Rain Guns to protect existing groundnut crop in the district. The state government had introduced the experiment of Rain Guns in the wake of consecutive failure of groundnut crop for the past five years.
The failure was just because of rain deficit during peak season. “Normally groundnut needs little rainfall at peak schedule, which is enough to save the crop. But failure of rains every time reportedly withering crop,” the experts' survey observed.
The newly introduced concept would be involved with those farmers who are having adequate water in their borewells to share water with the other fields, collector Mr Kona Sashidhar said and added more than 65,000 farmers came forward to share the water sources by using rain guns.
Sufficient number of rain guns were sanctioned to Anantapur district, the collector said. He directed the agriculture officials to stock rain guns at godowns. Oil engines and pipelines would be provided to help the farmers, Mr Sasidhar briefed.
